The Alfred L. Blake Chair in Real Estate was created with a generous gift from Alfred L. Blake, Jr., in conjunction with the Virginia Realtors Foundation, now the Virginia Real Estate Education Foundation, which is the charitable offshoot of the Virginia Association of Realtors ®, who recognized the need for increased knowledge in the field of real estate and the necessity of keeping professionals in real estate and related fields aware of the new industry development. The Blake Chair was formally dedicated in 1972 with the purpose of providing a strong academic background for students studying real estate in related fields such as land planning, law, architecture, mortgage lending, banking, and insurance.

The Blake Chair pays tribute to Alfred L. Blake, Sr., who was a founder of the Richmond-based firms of Mortgage Investment Corporation and Alfred L. Blake and Sons. Mr. Blake entered the real estate field in 1904 at the age of 19. In 1912 he entered into a partnership with the late Eugene B. Moorefield to create the firm of Moorefield and Blake.

In 1927 the name was changed to Blake & Dudley, Inc. The firm became Alfred L. Blake and Sons, Inc., in 1942, with I. Norris Blake and Alfred L. Blake, Jr., joining the company. Mr. Blake was a founding member of Battery Park Christian Church and was a member of the board of trustees of both Lynchburg College and the YMCA. He was a past president of the Real Estate Board of Richmond.

Dr. James H. Boykin served as the first Alfred L. Blake Chair in Real Estate from 1972 until his retirement in 2002. Dr. David H. Downs was named the second Blake Chair in 2003 and continues in that role today.

Thanks to the vision of the Blake family and the Virginia Association of Realtors ®, for nearly 40 years the Real Estate Program at Virginia Commonwealth University has positively influenced countless aspiring real estate professionals and has enhanced the quality of real estate decision making throughout the nation.